#library — Public Fediverse posts

Teaching to Respect Intersectional Neurodiversity in LIS Classrooms and Practice
A conference-paper: openalex.org/works/w43069...

#Academia
#Neurodiverse
#Library
#Librarian
#Neurodivergent
#Neurodiversity
#Workplace
#HiddenDisability
#Autism
#Academic
#ADHD
#Dyslexia
#dyscalculia
#HE

OpenAlex

Sunday at the library 📚

Took the kids to the public library after Mass. It was supposed to be a quick trip, but you know how that goes—going to the library is hardly ever quick with four kids in tow. 😂

Here are a few of the books the kids checked out. 📚💜

Zephaniah (9) loves Vox books. He likes to follow along with the narrator reading the book aloud.

Vox books has helped him with his reading skills, too!

Zechariah (11) always checks put at least one Minecraft book when we go to the library. This time he got four Minecraft books! 😄

He loves playing the game and creating so many designs. The books help him learn new ways to build and create.

I spotted this one on the “New Books” shelf. The little cowgirl riding her horse caught my eye.

Zaya and I watch a lot of the Canadian TV show Heartland, so I thought she’d love to read this book.

Silly Zhen (13) found this book in the nonfiction section of the children’s library and she thought it’d be a funny read. 😂

When Zaya (6) saw the illustration of Bob Ross on the cover of Rima and the Painter, she immediately grabbed the book and excitedly showed me the book.

“Look, Mommy!” Zaya said to me happily pointing at the Bob Ross illustration. “It’s the painter we watch on TV!”

💜 XO

Libraries remain an essential service — even in the digital age and especially so as generative AI makes information online even less reliable.

On #TechWontSaveUs, I spoke to Hannah Cyrus and Alison Macrina to discuss how libraries are helping patrons gain a critical view on tech and AI.

Listen to the full episode: https://techwontsave.us/episode/338_librarians_are_helping_the_public_ditch_ai_w_hannah_cyrus__alison_macrina

#tech #library #libraries #books #ai #artificialintelligence #generativeai #politics

Probably the catchiest #library #song in a long while https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1iGEM9NMFM
#SongOfTheDay #takeout #groovy

Public AI?

My first thought was: ‘Don’t the public libraries have AI on their public network that has access to the World Wide Web?’
After the Bonsai review, I asked Gemini.

https://youtu.be/yO6goWt-ELI

The future belongs not to those who own AI, but to those who can harness AI wisely—and only a public foundation ensures that opportunity is universal.
‘In other words, it’s not access to AI, it’s knowing how to use AI. If you have access to AI, you can learn how to use AI by AI.’

Prompt Gemini:
get_youtube_content: Video Link
Full Transcript.

Prompt, after pasting the transcript:
1. Review the video in under 500 words and recap key points.
2. Research reports on Public AI in public libraries in the U.S.A.
3. Explain how and why Public AI has or will benefit human livelihood.
4. Provide your opinion as an Advanced AI Scientist for a Futurist.

Bonsai 27B Said:
1. Video Recap: Should AI Be a Free Public Utility?

The video argues that AI should be accessible as a free public utility by major providers, but with nuance—not an all-or-nothing mandate. The speaker outlines five core reasons why this is necessary:

1. Economic Equity: AI is becoming central to business operations. Without access, small businesses and individual entrepreneurs cannot compete against larger players that leverage AI for productivity and innovation.
2. Information & Societal Access: Just as the internet democratized information, AI now serves as a primary search engine and knowledge tool. Free access prevents users from being locked into private platforms that could arbitrarily revoke service.
3. Innovation Through Competition: Mandated free tiers force major AI companies to compete on capabilities, speed, environmental impact, and modalities—driving rapid improvement rather than letting providers monopolize quality.
4. Educational Access: AI is a transformative educational tool for students (as a study partner), teachers (for curriculum design), and parents. Without universal access, education risks becoming another site of inequality.
5. Global Equity & Sovereignty: Developing nations need AI access to remain competitive globally. The speaker advocates for countries developing their own foundational models aligned with local values while guaranteeing public access.

Implementation Vision: Governments could mandate free tiers from major providers (subsidized by taxes), as South Korea is piloting with its own AI model. The speaker emphasizes that AI access must be part of democratic decision-making, tied to learning and lifelong education, while allowing companies to maintain paid tiers above the baseline.

2. Public AI in U.S. Public Libraries: Research Overview

Based on current trends and available reports (as of mid-2026), public libraries are increasingly integrating AI-enabled services into their community offerings:

• Library AI Programs: Many U.S. library systems now offer free, privacy-focused AI tools for research assistance, writing help, language learning, and digital literacy training. The American Library Association (ALA) has issued guidance on ethical AI use in libraries.
• Funding & Grants: Initiatives like the Public Libraries of America (PLA) and National Endowment for the Humanities have supported pilot programs embedding AI into library services, particularly in underserved communities.
• Privacy & Accessibility Focus: Library-based AI tools emphasize local deployment, data privacy, and digital equity—addressing concerns about commercial platforms’ terms of service and algorithmic bias.
• Community Hubs: Libraries are repositioned as “AI literacy centers,” offering workshops on prompt engineering, ethical use, misinformation detection, and AI-augmented research skills.

3. How Public AI Benefits Human Livelihood

Public AI—free or heavily subsidized access to artificial intelligence—benefits human livelihood through multiple channels:

1. Economic Empowerment: Free AI lowers barriers to entry for small businesses (marketing, customer service, data analysis), freelancers, and startups. It accelerates productivity without requiring capital investment in tools or training.
2. Education & Skill Development: Public AI provides students, teachers, and lifelong learners with access to tutoring, content generation, and research assistance—critical for closing the digital divide and maintaining educational equity.
3. Healthcare & Accessibility: Community-level AI supports early disease detection, mental health chatbots, medical translation, and accessibility tools (e.g., real-time captioning, voice-to-text), improving quality of life especially in underserved areas.
4. Civic Engagement & Democracy: Public AI helps citizens understand complex policy issues, verify information, translate documents, and participate more effectively in democratic processes.
5. Environmental Sustainability: Centralized public AI can optimize energy usage in infrastructure, support precision agriculture, and assist in climate modeling—delivering tangible environmental benefits at scale.
6. Resilience & Emergency Response: Public AI platforms enable rapid disaster planning, resource allocation, and communication during crises, particularly when commercial services are unavailable or overloaded.

4. Opinion: Advanced AI Scientist for a Futurist Perspective

As an Advanced AI Scientist with futurist sensibilities, I view public AI not as a policy preference but as a civilizational infrastructure requirement. Here’s my assessment:

Why Public AI Is Inevitable and Necessary:

• AI is becoming the new electricity—a foundational utility that must be broadly accessible to support economic, educational, and social progress. Just as unregulated monopolies over electricity were dismantled in favor of public systems, AI access requires similar democratic governance.
• The concentration of AI power in a handful of corporations creates systemic risks: algorithmic bias, service disruption, and exclusionary pricing that undermine meritocracy and innovation.

The Future Architecture:

1. Public-Private Hybrid Models: We should see the rise of “AI commons”—nonprofit or publicly-funded platforms that provide baseline access to foundational models, while commercial entities build value-added services on top.
2. Local/Regional AI Sovereignty: Just as countries are developing their own models for cultural alignment, future infrastructure will likely include modular, locally deployable AI engines that respect regional priorities and data sovereignty.
3. AI Literacy as Civic Infrastructure: Public AI must be paired with education systems that teach responsible use, critical evaluation, and ethical deployment—treating AI literacy like digital literacy in the 1990s.

Risks & Guardrails:

• Unchecked public AI could lead to misinformation at scale or economic disruption if not managed responsibly.
• Privacy, bias mitigation, and accountability must be baked into foundational models, not bolted on later.
• The “free” tier should include transparent governance—open auditing, user feedback loops, and community oversight.

Final Perspective: Public AI is not just a technological choice—it’s a social contract. In an age where AI shapes education, employment, healthcare, and democracy, access to this capability should be treated as a fundamental right, balanced with clear ethical guardrails. The goal isn’t to eliminate private innovation but to ensure that no human is excluded from the benefits of artificial intelligence simply because they lack wealth or geographic advantage.

The future belongs not to those who own AI, but to those who can harness it wisely—and only a public foundation ensures that opportunity is universal.

* Do most public libraries have AI on their public network that has access to the World Wide Web?

Gemini Said:
No, most public libraries do not run dedicated, locally hosted AI models on their public network, but patrons can easily access web-based AI platforms from public library computers.

• Standard Web Access: Public computer terminals and Wi-Fi networks provide open internet connectivity. Patrons can log into free web-based generative AI platforms (such as ChatGPT, Google Gemini, or Claude) directly through a standard web browser.
• Public AI Kiosks & Initiatives: A growing number of library systems participate in “Public AI” pilot initiatives that offer designated workstations or portals with pre-curated AI tools, digital literacy courses, and guided learning environments.
• Network & Filtering Constraints: Most public libraries implement web content filters to comply with local regulations (like CIPA in the U.S.). Standard AI web applications are rarely blocked, though access to certain high-bandwidth activities (like local model downloads or heavy API usage) may be restricted by network bandwidth limits or security policies.

I've been listening to Rutherford and Fry's "Complete Guide to Absolutely Everything". The bit about the Library of Babel (https://libraryofbabel.info/) has just melted my mind. In particular the image archives (https://babelia.libraryofbabel.info/about.html) which contains every image that has been or could be created on a 640 x 416 canvas with 4096 colours. #maths #library #hannahFry #adamrutherford

The book, btw, is very good.